A Study of Land Use Change in Georgetown Charter Township, Michigan: 1998 2005

1
A Study of Land Use Change in Georgetown
Charter Township, Michigan1998 - 2005

• Joe Shafer

2
Study Area

• Georgetown Charter Township, Michigan
• Approximately 10 miles southwest of Grand Rapids
• Population 45,098 (U.S. Census Bureau - 2006)
• Size Approximately 88 sq. km.

3
Background Information

• Settlement of the area dates back to 1835
• Originally a Dutch Reformed farming community
• Most of the township comprised by the community
  of Jenison (CDP)

4
Background Information

• Minor development began after World War II
• Construction of I-196 to Chicago Drive (M-21)
  intensified growth and development
• Completion of I-196 to US-31 I-94 continued the
  trend of suburbanization

1947
1957
1972
1980
5
Purpose

• To better understand the nature of growth
• Analyze the change in land uses
• Provide information to aid in creating land use
  policies that are most efficient

6
Methods

• Images digitized using ArcGIS 9.2
• Michigan Geographic Data Library (MiGDL)
• 1998 and 2005 Digital Ortho Quads
• Land Uses defined using State of Michigan Land
  Use Classification System 2000
• Microsoft Excel utilized to analyze statistics

7
Methods

• Land Use classes were customized to better suit
  the study
• Central Business District
• Secondary Neighborhood Commercial
• Institutional (churches, schools, libraries,
  museums)
• Multi-Family, Low Hi-Rise
• Single Family, Duplex
• Outdoor Public Space (parks, cemeteries, golf
  courses)
• Transportation (airports, highway ramps)
• Agricultural
• Undeveloped Open Space (forests, meadows,
  wetlands)
• Industrial
• Extractive (gravel and mining operations)
• Utility (water towers, power stations)
• No distinctions were made between vegetation
  types

8
Results
9
Results
10
Results
11
Analysis
Table 1
Changes in Land Use Area Size by Category
Georgetown Charter Township, Michigan 1998 - 2005
12
Analysis
Table 2
Changes in Land Use Area Percentage by Category
Georgetown Charter Township, Michigan 1998 - 2005
Due to rounding, columns do not add up to 100
13
Analysis
Graph A
Changes in Land Use for Georgetown Charter
Township, Michigan 1998 - 2005
Area (km2)
Land Use
14
Analysis
Table 3
Projected 2011 Land Use for Georgetown Charter
Township, Michigan (Based on 1998 2005 Trends)
Due to rounding, columns do not add up to 100
15
Conclusions

• The most dramatic land use increase was in the
  single family, duplex category
• The most dramatic land use decrease was in the
  agricultural category
• Most of the townships new development is
  occurring along its western and southern borders
• The eastern portion of the township remained
  relatively static in terms of growth
• The recent construction of M-6 (South Beltline)
  and the labeling of 48th Avenue as the Grand
  Rapids metros west beltline will most likely
  only hasten these trends

16
Conclusions

• If current trends continue, the township will be
  completely built out by the year 2039
• The term built out is defined as the complete
  development of all the township land
• In this study, built out is reached when there
  ceases to be any land defined under the
  categories agricultural, extractive, and
  undeveloped open space

17
Limitations of the Study

• MiGDL aerial imagery data for Georgetown Township
  dates only as far back as 1998
• Ottawa Countys archives of aerial imagery for
  the Township dating back to 1972 was only in hard
  copy format
• Historical aerial images for Georgetown Township
  dating back to 1947 were inaccessible due to
  budget constraints
• An ECW plug-in for ArcGIS was necessary in order
  to utilize 2005 data
• Digitizing problems
• Measurements for amounts of total land use are
  rounded

18
Acknowledgements

• Dr. Roy Cole, Professor of Geography
• - Grand Valley State University
• Dr. Wanxiao Sun, Professor of Geography
• - Grand Valley State University
• Aaron Boos, GIS Director
• - Ottawa County, Michigan

19
Bibliography

• Grand Valley Metropolitan Council. 2001. SW Grand
  Rapids Traffic Study (2000 2025). Document
  available at http//www.gvmc.org/transportation/
  swstudy/FRAME-studyarea.html.
• McGee, J. 1973. Bend in the River. Grand Rapids
  Eerdmans.. Grandville Historical Commission.
• Michigan Department of Information Technology.
  Center for Geographic Information (CGI). Michigan
  Geographic Data Library (MiGDL).
  http//www.mcgi.state.mi.us/mgdl/.
• Michigan Land Cover/Use Classification System.
  2000. Lansing Department of Environmental
  Quality, State of Michigan,.
• United States Census Bureau. http//www.census.gov
  /.
• United States Geological Survey (USGS). Earth
  Explorer. http//edcsns17.cr.usgs.gov/EarthExplore
  r/.
• Questions?